For Immediate Release: April 7, 2022
Contact: Braulio Agnese, braulio@downtowndc.org
10-Day-Long Block Party on F Street NW Offers Games, Live Entertainment, Movies, and More
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Opening on April 8, the 10-day-long Pop of Spring event created by the DowntownDC Business Improvement District (BID) will transform the 800 block of F Street NW into a space ripe with activations to celebrate the city’s vernal awakening. Occurring at the height of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, and one of the festival’s official events, Pop of Spring invites residents and visitors to the heart of the city for seasonal food, fun, and performances. Guests can enjoy live entertainment or showcase their own vocal talents through karaoke, play video games and table games, watch anime movies, and relax in swinging benches with integrated tables.
Developed in collaboration with Plus Ultra Entertainment, which produces events that showcase and highlight various aspects of Black nerd culture, and The Game Room Club, a startup that creates experiences for the gaming and cosplay community, Pop of Spring was funded in part through the Streets for People Grant Program administered by the D.C. Office of Planning. The program aims to demonstrate how temporary public spaces on roads, sidewalks, and other nontraditional gathering spaces can create vibrant opportunities to support economic recovery, celebrate the city’s culture, and attract more people to central D.C.
To launch the 10-day event and this exciting new use of public space, John Falcicchio, D.C. Deputy Mayor, Planning and Economic Development, will join the BID and other speakers — including Anita Cozart, Interim Director of the Office of Planning, and National Cherry Blossom Festival President Diana Mayhew — at an 11:00 am press event on the Pop of Spring site. Members of the press and the public are invited to attend.
“Through our popular annual Downtown Holiday Market, we have successfully demonstrated how temporarily taking over a space made for cars and turning it into a place for recreation, entertainment, and commerce can draw visitors and enliven streets in exciting ways,” said Gerren Price, Acting President and CEO of the DowntownDC BID. “Now, thanks to the Office of Planning, with Pop of Spring we have an opportunity to do it again and offer new ways for D.C. residents and visitors to enjoy themselves and contribute to the city’s ongoing recovery. It’s going to be a fun-filled 10 days on F Street.”
Pop of Spring is a free, family-friendly event for all and takes place April 8 through April 17, noon until 8:00 PM daily. Weekends will include live entertainment, and outdoor movies will be shown almost every evening. Find the full schedule of events on the BID’s website.
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About DowntownDC Business Improvement District (BID)
The DowntownDC BID was founded in 1997 and is a private non-profit organization that provides capital improvements, resources ,and research that keep the BID area clean, safe, economically and environmentally strong, and accessible. The BID is a catalyst, facilitator and thought leader in diversifying the economy, promoting public/private partnerships and enhancing the DowntownDC experience for all. This special district, where property owners have agreed to tax themselves to fund services, encompasses a 138-block area of approximately 520 properties from Massachusetts Avenue on the north to Constitution Avenue on the south, and from Louisiana Avenue on the east to 16th Street on the west. For more information, visit downtowndc.org.